…when celebrities go nuts!
By Marion Ang
Do the names Ludwig van Beethoven, Megan Fox and David Beckham ring a bell? These are just a few well-known figures that are not only incredibly talented, but also have one other thing in common – they all have issues of their own.
Strange obsessions
Hollywood bombshell Megan Fox suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a disorder that inspires strange obsessions in people to relieve the anxiety associated with intrusive thoughts.
Her obsession? Cleanliness. Fox will not use toilets without seat covers: “Every time someone uses a bathroom and they flush, all the bacteria is shot into the air,” said the erstwhile Transformers star.
On the other hand, football star David Beckham has a rather peculiar obsession – symmetry. Apparently, Beckham likes to keep his shirts in order, lining them up in the closet according to colour. He also arranges his food in a certain order, owning a total of 3 fridges in his home.
Wife Victoria Beckham said: “In the drinks (fridge), everything is symmetrical. If there’s three cans of Diet Coke, he’d throw one away rather than having three – because it has to be an even number.”
Moods on a see saw
Just last year, prolonged stress caused actress Catherine Zeta-Jones to suffer from a case of bipolar II disorder, which causes mood swings between manic highs and depressed lows. Her illness caused her to have longer ‘low’ periods, but she has since checked into a facility to treat her disorder.
Going back a few centuries, prolific composer Ludwig van Beethoven, suffered from bipolar disorder and had manic episodes of torment, loneliness and psychotic delusions, during which he wrote some of his most famous works.
Private hell
After the birth of her firstborn, Princess Diana suffered from postpartum depression, which was aggravated by pressures she faced as a Princess in the Royal Family. At the time, postpartum depression wasn’t as well understood or accepted as it is today and because of that, she dealt with intense feelings of isolation and abandonment, including from her husband, Prince Charles.
Actor Owen Wilson, who starred in the film Wedding Crashers, also battled depression. The 38-year-old attempted suicide at his Santa Monica residence, and was later sent to hospital for treatment. While the actor was forced to pull out of film projects like Tropic Thunder, he has since recovered and is now back in the movie industry.
